Naps maintain purple patch with 8-0 caning of Chaguanas

For the final 10 minutes, passionate Chaguanas North Secondary supporter Germain Raymond’s horn was silent. There is probably be no higher praise than that for any football team that travels to the New Settlement Ground in Chaguanas.

A Nicholas Dillon hattrick plus items from Jabari Mitchell, Martieon Watson, Jeremiah Kezar, Aalon Minors and Isaiah Hudson added up to an almighty caning for the host team as Naparima College romped to an emphatic 8-0 win in the mud.

The result kept “Naps” on top of the SSFL Premier Division albeit with a one point advantage over second placed St Anthony’s College and third placed San Juan North Secondary.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago national under-20 midfielder Jabari Mitchell (right) tries to squeeze a shot past two Cuban defenders during the 2014 Caribbean Cup.Mitchell was on the scoresheet today as Naparima College trounced Chaguanas North Secondary.(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)

Elsewhere, the “Westmoorings Tigers” snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-1 mauling of Fatima College at the St Anthony’s school ground while, at the Fatima College ground, San Juan North Secondary contained to stalk the traditional powerhouses with a 2-0 win over East Mucurapo Secondary.

Brent Sam was up to his usual tricks with a double, which extended the former national under-17 striker’s scoring streak to five successive games. He has scored nine times in that stretch including goals against St Anthony’s, Shiva Boys HC, Presentation (San Fernando) and St Mary’s College.

Naparima knows a thing or two about a purple patch too. And it meant bad news for the Chaguanas North boys in mauve shirts and pants.

The New Settlement football ground is an unfenced field squeezed between four roads. It is the very definition of a community ground, which means you could stop to watch the game while strolling to the parlour or, if you live in a two-storey house, follow the action without leaving your yard.

Naps were not in a communal mood today though. These schoolboys meant business.

Dillon, a 17-year-old man-child and Form Five student, was the chief executioner. Chaguanas could not match his pace, power and precision.

Naparima already led 2-0 at the half, following items from Mitchell, another national under-20 player, and Dillon. But, when Dillon got going in the second half, there was no stopping him.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago national under-20 forward Nicholas Dillon goes for goal during the Under-20 Caribbean Cup.Dillon scored a hattrick today for Naparima College against Chaguanas North.(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)

“Come on Chaguanas North!” yelled Raymond, as she tooted her horn. “Allyuh not putting pressure on the ball!”

Bang! Dillon rifled into the corner from the edge of the opposing penalty area in the 46th minute; and the ball flew past Chaguanas custodian Aaron Best before he could twitch.

“What is that?” Chaguanas left back Carim Kellar asked his goalkeeper in an accusing tone.

“It’s not (on) me,” Best retorted. “How is that (on) me?”

Best picked the ball out from the back of his net again in the 64th minute as Dillon nodded across the line from four yards after a precise left side cross from Naparima flanker Isaiah Hudson.

“Come on allyuh!” roared Raymond. “Play like allyuh want it!”

In fact, Chaguanas did have a player capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone in a Naparima jersey, which is no faint praise considering the talent in the southern line-up. The problem was that 16-year-old Malik Campbell, a six foot-plus twinkle-toed midfielder, wanted to take them all on at once.

And, although Campbell usually beat the first man and sometimes the second, how far could he get with his solo efforts when his direct opponents in midfield were the national under-20 pair of Martieon Watson and Mitchell?

In the 75th minute, Campbell danced one player and dragged the ball past Watson before going down under a shoulder challenge from Stephon Smith in the Naparima penalty area. There was a hopeful shout from the Chaguanas bench but that was as good as it got for the host team.

A frustrated Campbell responded to the embarrassment of his impotence with a flying tackle through the mud that chopped down Dillon. Referee Jeeva Hosein flashed a yellow card. Dillon flashed a broad smile and did a dance in the mud to show his durability.

Chaguanas coach Nicholas Griffith might have started praying for the final whistle at this point.

It got worse still in the 78th minute as Chaguanas flanker Mattias Williams was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Jordan Samuel.

By then, Raymond had started blowing her horn for Naparima misses.

“If I don’t blow when they make a mistake,” she explained to an observer, “I wouldn’t have anything to blow for.”

The horn finally fell silent altogether in the last ten minutes as Naparima plundered another four goals against ten players.

Dillon, it turned out, was human after all; he was substituted in the 80th minute with a minor muscle injury. Right back Nicholas Thomas hobbled off too and he and Dillon were replaced by Naparima under-16 players.

It summed up the evening for the two teams when both under-16 players promptly scored. Kezar punished a Kellar error with a drive into the far corner while the pocket-sized Minors scored with a stooping header into an empty net after Best completely missed a straightforward Mitchell cross.

No one had the heart to argue with the goalkeeper anymore.

Watson and Hudson completed the score summary with close range finishes as Naparima, led by assistant coach Travis Mulraine, gave another emphatic display of their firepower. Naps should have a sterner test of their title credentials on Tuesday when they host Trinity College East in Lewis Street, San Fernando.

Campbell and company slipped into 12th place and relegation territory with today’s loss as they have a worse goal differential than 11th place Fatima. The bottom three of the Premier Division’s 14 teams will be relegated.

Chaguanas North travels to Mucurapo on Tuesday to face Fatima and coach Griffith must extract his players’ maximum concentration for that fixture if they want to stay in this division.

They might not want to look further down the road in any case. Chaguanas is due to play St Anthony’s College in Westmoorings next Saturday.

Editor’s Note: During the week, a member of the Naparima coaching staff told Wired868 that Nicholas Dillon was a Form Three student. That apparently turns out to be incorrect.Percy Samlalsingh, the Naparima College team manager and student alumni VP of the student alumni, has informed Wired868 that Nicholas Dillon is in Form Five.So we apologise for that misinformation, although we did try to verify the initial report. Thanks for your understanding.

About Lasana Liburd

Lasana Liburd is the CEO and Editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.

82 comments

Mr Sosa, let me understand this correctly. So clubs ripping off players by allegedly paying $2,000 per month, yet clubs are idiots for paying them $3,500? So, if I understand you correctly, a young professional football, in your learned opinion, should be paid more than $2,000 but less than the country’s minimum wage? Other young men perfectly ok to earn over $3,500 per month but not footballers? And you’re supposed to be representing these players? I’ve worked with many agents and usually, they would have a financial adviser to advise their clients, but apparently, not you? Only in sweet T&T yes?

WHAT!!! all the millions that the Ceo received from the government eh, and he haven”t blessed you with a new car for all that marvelous and real professional work that you are doing for Central FC – The Sharks . This would have been the first thing I wudda do if I had collected all the millions. Brent Sancho really good yes.

Hmm, Mr Sosa, what car do you drive? I can’t afford to buy one, so have to rent 15 year old Lancers, because some players earning more than me. They working 15-20 hours per week, I put in over 80. So, go figure.

WHAT!!!!! I never knew that and this is a professional league eh, at least the Players should be getting 5000 and the corrupted governments and them should also give.the professional teams monies to help the players. Them really good yes.

Ok so then in this case they should sue Levi brother because it was stated that he was the one that accompany him to sign the contract and the other youth I think I read it was his father that was there when he sign so sue them, smh u really good at Earl Mango Pierre… what we need to do is let the youths get the opportunity to go out and make it that would just open more doors for players that are coming up all am reading is its a business these are humans that want to make a better life for them and their families.

and the million dollar question I have been always asking, so if the player signed a contract with a professional team in our sweet country eh, and then opting out of the contract just so, just so to return to play school football eh, how is that the pro teams doesn’t sue them and take them to court? it seems that some of these players doesn’t know what they really want to do with their lives ent. Them really good yes.

Some people have a problem with what I am doing and my thing is if you can’t do better 4 the player shut the hell up. if sending a player 2 a top european league on a trial is wrong well I never wanna be right. these local clubs wanna pay a big man with responsibilties 2 to 3500 a month and demand perfection for 4 to 5 days of training and 1 to 2 games a week and other shit. they can’t be serious. when u are paying players a decent salary you can expect the best out of them. a pair of quality boots is 1200, rent is 2500 a month, food 1500 a month so WTF you want a player 2 do if he getting a break? stay here and suffer when these stupid ass owners living comfortable and driving nice cars?

Savitri Maharaj, I have to take ownership for the Nicholas Dillon school issue. I was told he is in Form Three by a member of staff last week. But today a school alumni member told me differently.
So it was my mistake. Like I will have to speak to school principals first now!

Okay. During the week, a member of the coaching staff (not Travis Mulraine) told Wired868 that Nicholas Dillon was a Form Three student. That apparently is incorrect.
I just spoke to Percy Samlalsingh who is the Naparima College team manager and the VP of the student alumni. And he said that he can say with certainty that Nicholas Dillon is in Form Five, although the boy’s attendance record was spotty last year during the time that he played for Central FC.
So I’m sorry for the misinformation.

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